Were Penn State sanctions too harsh?

The NCAA recently applied a rather harsh set of sanctions on Penn State following an investigation that found Coach Joe Paterno, along with other senior school leaders, failed to stop former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky from sexually abusing children on campus.

By Allison B. HudsonGateHouse News Service

Chillicothe News - Chillicothe, MO

By Allison B. HudsonGateHouse News Service

Posted Aug. 1, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Updated Aug 1, 2012 at 1:16 PM

By Allison B. HudsonGateHouse News Service

Posted Aug. 1, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Updated Aug 1, 2012 at 1:16 PM

The NCAA recently applied a rather harsh set of sanctions on Penn State following an investigation that found Coach Joe Paterno, along with other senior school leaders, failed to stop former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky from sexually abusing children on campus.

It was the first breaking news headline as I turned the TV to ESPN that morning. I must admit I was in shock of the harsh sanctions that the school is faced with now.

The penalty includes a $60 million fine, a four-year postseason ban, an annual reduction of ten scholarships over a four-year period and five years of probation.

If you think that isn't enough, the most significant sanction was that all of Penn State's wins from 1998 to 2011 have been vacated, which means that Paterno is no longer the sports' all-time winningest coach in history. That title goes to Eddie Robinson, who coached for 57 years at Grambling University. He won over 408 games in his tenure. Also, Bobby Bowden with 377 victories ranks as top coach with most wins.

As the news kept coming, I raised questions for the current students who had no involvement with these horrible dealings. Then, it was stated that current and incoming football players would be allowed to transfer from the school without penalty.

It seems punishments are getting stricter these days, so I hope with these sanctions, other schools have learned lessons, and with the bounty-scandal penalties on the New Orleans Saints, NFL teams have learned a valuable lesson as well.

For some reason, football is getting more and more political; can we just play some football, please, and not worry about the other stuff? Let's keep it clean.

I would like to hear your thoughts on the sanctions set for Penn State, do you think they are fair or not? Please send your letters to P.O. Box 309, Donaldsonville, La 70346 or email us at editor@dvillechief.brcoxmail.com.